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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Online Plagiarism is a genuine concern for writers in
this modern internet age. If you pour yourself into your work, then
share it with the world via the internet, how can you ensure that that
work is protected? How do you prevent your work being plagiarized?

Is Copyright Enough?
If you’re a creative professional then having an online portfolio is a
key way of sharing your work with others, and marketing it to potential
clients. But if your work is online it could be tempting for someone
else to try to copy it and claim it as their own. So what can you do to
protect your work? Well firstly, you need to know that no matter where
you place your work online, unless you sign a document giving away your
rights to it, the copyright to that work will always be yours. Copyright
gives you the right to control your work , so make sure that you place
your name and a copyright statement on every piece of work you publish
online. However, of course, simply seeing that copyright statement or
logo wouldn’t prevent an unscrupulous character from lifting your work.
Other practical steps you can take are to place a watermark over any
images you publish to accompany your writing (so no one can use them
without citing you and your work). Finally if you discover someone
copying your work then the best thing you can do is send them a friendly
but firm email asking them to remove your copied work from their site.
If this doesn’t work then the Digital Millennium Copyright Act contains a
cease and desist notice you can send to the offender. Finally, if
you’re still having no luck getting your work removed from someone else
site or cited as your own, a letter from a lawyer might be enough to
scare them into action, as a final step.

Plagiarism and School
Plagiarism is the biggest concern for those writing for the educational
sector. If you write on a subject that will be of interest to college
students then it’s likely your work might be plagiarized. School pupils are often told that plagiarism or ‘copying’ work they find online is cheating and unethical.
And there is a lot of grey area in the world of online plagiarism too:
is lifting two or three sentences from an essay you find online plagiarism, if you fit it into a 12 page paper plagiarism? To many
colleges it is. And no doubt to you, the author that worked so hard to
create the original work, it is too! For this reason there are often
investigations into the practice of buying essays or reports online. If
you want to write online to earn some extra money, never reply to ads
asking for writers to write college papers for students: this plagiarism
is unethical and could affect the future college careers of those you
are writing for.

Avoid Plagiarism
It’s often said that nothing is new in the creative arts any more. If
you have an idea, it’s likely that someone has already had that very
same idea already. So how can you avoid plagiarism, both intentional and
unintentional, in your own work? Firstly, start each new writing day
afresh: if you have been reading just before you start writing,
especially if you have been reading works by authors whose topics or
styles are similar to your own, then it’s likely that you could
subconsciously slip words or phrases that aren’t your own into your
piece. Finally don’t forget that there are now a very sophisticated
range of online plagiarism detection tools available online: if in doubt
about the true originality of your work (or somebody else’s work!)then
you could always run it through an online plagiarism detection tool for
extra piece of mind that the work you are so proud of really and truly
is your own.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

It is a problem experienced by the best of writers at one time or
another: struggling to focus on your writing because of external
distractions. Do you always have just one more email you’d like to reply
to before you start writing? Need to get the kids their dinner or help
them with their homework? Want to make sure your stationary
cupboard is fully stocked? There are so many reasons not to buckle down
and get on with the business of writing! If this sounds like you then
here are a few tips for focusing on your writing and getting your work back on track:

Set a Writing Schedule!

It’s important to see your creative writing as a job and the best way to
do that is to set yourself daily deadlines, just like you would in an
office environment! How you organize these deadlines is up to you:
what’s important is that you set them, achieve them, and they are
realistic. Some writers like to set themselves daily word counts: for
example, they must write 1,000 words a day. Other writers prefer to
focus on quality rather than quantities of work produced and instead try
to work solidly for certain chunks of time instead: you must sit at
your desk for two hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon,
for example. It doesn’t matter what targets you set, just set them and
stick to them!

Stay hydrated and avoid alcohol

The list of writers who have struggled with alcoholism during the course of their career is seemingly endless. Raymond Chandler abused
alcohol for the entire duration of his writing career. Welsh poet Dylan
Thomas spent much of his career boasting about his drinking and his
health deteriorated rapidly towards the end of his life due to this
vice. He ultimately slipped into a coma whilst drinking to celebrate his
39th birthday and died four days
later. Finally Edgar Allan Poe died at the young age of just 40, and his
unexplained death has been attributed in turn to a mix of alcoholism,
drugs, cholera, and tuberculosis. Although all of these writers had huge
success during their careers, of course, there is no glorifying
drinking as you write. There is no merit to drinking simply due to the
ill-conceived idea that it might contribute to your art. If you do feel
you are drinking too much during the writing process then seek help before the problem escalates too much. You can find support wherever you are from Florida alcoholic help,
to New York rehabilitation centers. Don’t be tempted to reach for a
beer or a glass of wine whilst you’re working, but do keep hydrated.
Being properly hydrated will actually help to increase your
concentration. Water makes up approximately 60% of your body mass
and about 80% of your brain, so it makes sense that drinking it will add
to your brain power!! Keep a jug of water on your desk as you work,
and get into the habit of sipping throughout the day.

Create the Perfect Work Environment

Working on your laptop whilst curled up on your sofa might feel comfy,
but it certainly won’t aid your productivity! If you want to work smart
then work at a desk: preferably in an office or a separate room away
from the hustle and bustle of family life. If that’s not possible (if
your desk is in your living room for example) then ensure that you turn
the TV, radio, or any other stimulus off whilst you’re trying to wrote.
Listening to Oprah might be a pleasant way to spend the afternoon, but
it won't help your work! Keep your working environment tidy and clutter
free; after all, having a tidy space is conductive to having a tidy
mind. Finally, avoid the lure of the writers favorite haunt: the coffee
shop. Working in a coffee shop with your laptop and a latte may make you
feel like a ‘real writer’ but it certainly won’t aid your word count!
The people-watching opportunities in a coffee shop are endless, and it’s
far more exciting to see what’s going on around you than it is to edit
that final chapter. Stay at home and increase your productivity
instead!

About Me

Apryl Skies, poet, filmmaker & author of A Song Beneath Silence captures the intense beauty of the world with a unique and lyrical voice. As a contemporary poet and author, Apryl has impressed the likes of fans both online as well as by her appearances at local poetry readings throughout the L.A. area. Before entering the publishing world, Apryl focused her energy toward film with the release of her animated fairy tale series on DVD, Polyphony - Be you and Accept Me Too!, winner of the 2010 Gold Pixie Award, a 60 minute anthology of puppet adventures, clay animation, computer graphics and poetry for children. Now available worldwide. UPDATE: Skye the Troll & Other Fairy Tales For Children. Apryl Skies, creator of these inspiring and exciting series of original musings reveals a softer side with her third publication. Based on the cartoon series Polyphony – Be You And Accept Me Too!, which won the 2010 Gold Pixie Award for animation, through poetry and humor Skies creates a world of poetic fantasy and enchantment in this series of whimsical fairy tales, poetry and songs in this spectacular new children’s anthology.